ES2833380T3 - Device and procedure for the automated collection and placement of a segment to form a tunnel lining - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for the automated collection and placement of a segment that forms the lining of a tunnel, intended to be coupled to a tunnel boring machine (1) equipped with a segment erector (2), said erector comprising actuators (101) equipped with sensors position (102), characterized in that it comprises: - a controller (201) configured to communicate with an automaton (103) of the tunnel boring machine adapted to command the drive of the erector, and to receive measurement data from the erector sensors, - A three-dimensional vision system (202) comprising at least four laser profilometers (21), intended to be fixed on the erector in such a way as to (i) determine a separation in position and in inclination between the erector and a segment that is must take, and (ii) acquire the set of analysis data of the position and inclination separations of a segment (V) that must be placed, maintained by the erector with respect to at least one segment and / or a segment ring already in place, said three-dimensional vision system being coupled to the controller to transmit said measurement data, the controller (201) being configured to receive a segment placement plane and, thanks to a computer planner adapted to process said analysis data of the three-dimensional vision system (202), the measurement data of the erector sensors (102) and said placement plane, determining a trajectory of the erector to place said segment (V) to be placed in front of said segment and / or segment (A) of segments already placed, and communicate movement orders to the robot (103) of the tunnel boring machine to activate the erector (2) to take the segment (V) to be placed and move it according to said trajectory.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Device and procedure for the automated collection and placement of a segment to form a tunnel lining

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a device for the automated collection and placement of a segment intended to be coupled to a tunnel boring machine equipped with a segment erector, as well as to an automated segment collection and placement procedure using said device.

Background of the invention

The lining of a tunnel is generally made up of prefabricated segments arranged in the form of a plurality of successive rings.

As the TBM advances, a new ring is built by successively assembling a plurality of segments against a previously placed ring.

The front face of each new ring (that is, the face facing the TBM cutting head) serves as a bearing surface for push cylinders located at the rear of the TBM shield (that is, on the side of the TBM). opposite to the cutting head) and intended to exert the necessary thrust for the excavation of the excavated ground.

The voussoirs are placed by an erector, that is, a machine that allows the voussoir to be gripped from a magazine located at the rear of the TBM shield, and then its displacement to its intended site to form the ring. The erector is a component of the TBM's shield, located at the rear of the TBM.

At present, the erector is generally commanded by an operator located near it, in the area where the segments are placed.

However, this piloting by an operator suffers from several drawbacks.

On the one hand, the presence of one or more operators in the segment placement area presents a risk to their safety.

On the other hand, the placement time of each segment is long, in particular due to the fact that one or more operators control the position of a segment placed with respect to the segments already placed, since any position adjustments are made empirically. by said operator (s). This work is also particularly hard since it imposes multiple movements for the operator.

Therefore, it would be desirable to be able to automate the placement of the segments with a view, on the one hand, to avoid the presence of operators in the placement area and, on the other hand, to improve the quality and time of placement of the segments.

As the erector is a large capacity and powerful hydraulic machine, with important arrows in operation, its positioning is not very precise and repeatable. These defects are accentuated by the significant wear and tear and the significant increase in the operating clearances over the operating life of the TBM.

Document FR 2745327 describes a device that makes it possible to assist an operator when placing segments in a tunnel. This device uses a measuring sensor designed to measure the position of a reference point on a lateral face of a previously placed segment and of a reference point on a lateral face of the segment to be placed, these two reference points must be placed opposite each other. This device further comprises a computer configured to determine, based on the analysis of the separations of these two reference points, the trajectory of the erector to move the segment to be placed to the desired position with respect to the segment already in place.

At first, the operator commands the erector to move it approximately to a position close to that of the segment already in place. The measurement sensor is positioned in such a way that the segment to be positioned and the segment already in place are in your field of view. The reference point separation analysis is then performed and transmitted to the computer.

The computer then calculates the displacement of the erector necessary to move the segment to be placed into its final position. In this phase, the erector is piloted automatically according to the displacement defined by the computer, without operator intervention.

However, this device does not allow to fully automate the positioning of the segment, the approximate installation being carried out by an operator. Furthermore, this device does not allow to control the quality of placement of the segment (which must be considered according to different degrees of freedom). In addition, the measurement sensor is unique to the erector, so that you can follow it.

Document CN104747213 describes a device for the automated placement of segments. This device comprises two three-dimensional cameras destined to acquire images of one face of the segment to be placed and of the face of a segment already placed, destined to be placed in contact with each other when the segment is placed. This device also comprises a computer that allows the analysis of said images to determine a displacement between said segments.

At first, the segment to be placed is moved to an approximate position with respect to an already placed segment.

In a second moment, the cameras acquire images of the faces of the segments destined to be placed one in front of the other.

These images are transmitted to the computer, which processes them to deduce from them a displacement between the two segments defined, on the one hand, by the distance between the faces with respect to the two segments and the distance between the front faces of the two segments. If this displacement is less than a certain threshold, the segment is considered to be correctly positioned and the procedure for placing said segment is completed. If this displacement exceeds said threshold, the computer determines the movements of the erector necessary to improve the precision of positioning of the segment, and the erector is automatically commanded to carry out said movements. This procedure can optionally be repeated until the displacement between the two segments is less than a certain threshold.

However, the processing time for these images is relatively long, which penalizes the placement time of each segment. Furthermore, this device does not take into account a possible angular displacement of the segment to be placed with respect to the segment already in place.

Document JPH08-296400 describes an erector that allows the automated placement of segments comprising a vision sensor made up of two cameras, one of which has a larger field of vision than the other.

At first, the segment to be placed is moved to an approximate position with respect to an already placed segment.

A laser projector projects a luminous line on the faces destined to be in contact with the segment already in place and with the segment to be placed. The cameras acquire images of this light line. These images are transmitted to the computer, which processes them to deduce from them a displacement between the two segments, this displacement being defined in position (distances in three directions) and in inclination (angles in three directions). The computer determines the movements of the erector necessary to align the two segments, and the erector is automatically commanded to perform these movements.

However, the erector described in this document has been specifically designed and the automation it provides is therefore not adaptable to an existing erector of a TBM on the market.

Finally, none of the aforementioned documents mentions the installation of the first segment or that of the key (the last segment that allows the ring to be closed in the case of a universal ring), which presents a more important installation complexity.

Brief description of the invention

An objective of the invention is to design a device for the automated placement of a segment that allows increasing operator safety and productivity, minimizing the intervention of an operator, minimizing the time of placement of each segment and improving the precision of placement. This device must allow the placement of a complete ring, including the first and last segment that make up the ring, whether it is a universal ring or not. On the other hand, said device must be compatible with an erector of a tunnel boring machine on the market. Finally, such a device should take up little space and be easy to install.

According to the invention, a device is proposed for the automated collection and placement of a segment that forms the lining of a tunnel, intended to be coupled to a TBM equipped with a segment erector, said erector comprising actuators equipped with sensors position, characterized in that it comprises:

- a controller configured to communicate with an automaton of the tunnel boring machine adapted to command the actuation of the erector, and to receive measurement data from the erector sensors,

- a three-dimensional vision system comprising at least four laser profilometers, intended to be fixed on the erector in such a way that (i) a separation in position and inclination between the erector and a segment to be taken is determined, and ( ii) the data set for the analysis of the position and inclination separations of a segment to be placed, held by the erector, is acquired with respect to at least one segment and / or a ring of segments already in place, said three-dimensional vision system being coupled to the controller to transmit said measurement data to it,

the controller being configured to receive a segment placement plane and, thanks to a computer planner adapted to process said analysis data of the three-dimensional vision system, the measurement data of the erector sensors and said placement plane, determine a trajectory of the erector to place said segment that must be placed in front of said segment and / or ring of segments already placed, and communicate the movement orders to the robot of the TBM to operate the erector to take the segment to be placed and move it according to said trajectory.

Advantageously, the device further comprises a man-machine interface coupled to the controller. According to one embodiment, the controller is configured to send to the robotics machine of the tunnel boring machine movement commands of at least one push cylinder of the tunnel boring machine, to free a placement zone of the segment to be placed and to ensure said keystone once in place.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the controller is configured to recognize, from the measurement data, a segment to be positioned.

Another object of the invention is a tunnel boring machine incorporating a segment erector and a device as described above.

Another object refers to a method for the automated collection and placement of a segment to form the lining of a tunnel, by a tunnel boring machine equipped with a segment erector and an automaton adapted to control the drive of the erector, characterized in that it comprises:

- the provision of a device as described above,

- the installation of a three-dimensional vision system in the erector,

- the establishment of a communication between the controller of said device and the robot of the tunnel boring machine,

- receipt, by the controller, of a segment placement plan and measurement data from the erector sensors,

- the communication, by the controller to the robot of the tunnel boring machine, of an order to grasp the segment that must be placed by the erector,

- the grip of a segment that must be placed by the erector,

- the transfer of said segment in a placement zone defined by the controller,

- the acquisition, by the three-dimensional vision system, of data for the analysis of the position and inclination separations of the segment to be placed with respect to at least one segment and / or a ring of segments already in place,

- the processing of said measurement data by the controller in order, from said measurement data of the three-dimensional vision system, of the measurement data of the erector sensors and of said placement plane, to determine an erector trajectory to place said segment that must be placed in front of said segment and / or ring of segments already placed,

- the communication, by the controller, of movement orders from the erector to the tunnel boring machine automaton, - the activation of the erector by the automaton according to said movement orders, to install the segment, - the communication to the automaton, by the controller, of movement commands of at least one push cylinder of the TBM,

- the securing of said segment by said thrust cylinder against a ring already in place.

According to one embodiment, said method further comprises, before grasping the segment to be placed, the recognition of said segment by the controller from the data provided by the three-dimensional vision system.

According to one embodiment, after securing the segment, the controller sends to the robot of the tunnel boring machine an order to relax the grip of the segment.

In a particularly advantageous manner, said procedure allows the automated placement of a complete ring of segments, said procedure being carried out for all segments that make up said ring. According to one embodiment, the method further comprises, after the placement of a complete ring of segments, the measurement, by the three-dimensional vision system, of at least one geometric characteristic of said ring, which includes the roll angle, the flatness of the front face, the centering of the ring on the skirt of the TBM and / or the ovalization of the ring.

According to a preferred embodiment, based on said measurement of said geometric characteristic of the ring, the controller adjusts the plane of placement of the segments of the next ring.

Brief description of the drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is an overall view of the rear part of a TBM shield,

- Figure 2 illustrates an erector bearing a segment in front of a ring of segments already in place,

- figure 3 is a synoptic of the operation of the automated positioning device according to the invention and of its interface with a tunnel boring machine,

Figure 4 is a diagram of the principle of the three-dimensional vision system.

Detailed description of the invention

Figure 1 is an overall view in partial section of the rear part of a TBM shield for which the invention can be used, specifying that the invention is not limited in terms of the type of TBM (earth pressure TBM). , mud pressure, etc.).

In a manner known per se, the tunnel boring machine 1 comprises, at its front part, a rotating cutting head 10, provided with cutting tools, intended for excavating the ground.

The cutting head 10 is fixed to the front of a shield 11 that ensures the protection and sealing of the excavation work.

At the rear of the cutting head 10 is an excavation chamber 12 into which the debris coming from the cutting front is transferred.

The rubble can be extracted from the excavation chamber by means of an extraction screw 13, at the outlet of which it is deposited on a conveyor belt in order to be evacuated. Depending on the type of TBM, the extraction means can vary and are not limited to the screw shown.

At its rear, the shield 11 has a skirt 14 under which the voussoirs V that form the lining of the tunnel are placed.

The tunnel boring machine 1 is provided with thrust cylinders 15 that rest on the front face F of the last placed segment ring A, said cylinders 15 intended to exert a forward thrust force on the cutting head 10 during the excavation phase. .

To install the voussoirs V, a voussoir erector 2 is arranged in the escutcheon, protected from the skirt 14.

Erector 2 is fed with segments from outside the TBM by a transport system (not shown).

As can be better seen in Figure 2, the segment erector 2 comprises a gripping device 20 that has a substantially complementary shape to the interior of the segments V. Preferably, the grip is carried out by depression (suction effect generated by aspiration), so that no tool or any particular manipulation is necessary to maintain the segments on the erector. Alternatively (not shown), the erector can be provided with gripping elements capable of passing through holes made in the segments.

The erector is provided with a number of actuators (in particular, cylinders and motors) that provide at least six degrees of freedom in rotation and in translation to the gripping device and that allow a large number of movements. More precisely, the erector comprises a rotor and cylinders arranged between the rotor and the gripping device.

The erector can operate at a relatively high speed, in an approach phase (approximate positioning) of the segment in front of the intended placement zone, and at a relatively slow speed in a precise positioning phase.

To carry out the invention, the erector actuators are instrumented with any type of sensor (for example, cylinder elongation sensors, rotational encoders of the motors, etc.) so that it is possible to know at any time the position of the gripping device with respect to a reference position, according to each degree of freedom. As indicated above, the position information provided by these sensors is only theoretical insofar as it does not take into account arrows, operating clearances, etc. of the different components of the erector, which can be important. Therefore, it is not possible to rely solely on this information to accurately position a segment. The invention overcomes this drawback by equipping the erector with a three-dimensional vision system that aids in the grasping and then in the precise installation of the segments.

An automaton of the tunnel boring machine makes it possible to control the drive of the erector by piloting the different drives to move the gripping device according to a determined trajectory. In a conventional TBM, this path is defined by an operator. Thanks to the invention, said trajectory is determined by a controller and a scheduler that will be described in greater detail later. However, a mode of operation in which an operator controls the automaton is still available, if necessary.

It should be noted that, except for the fact that the actuators of the erector are pre-equipped, the installation of the three-dimensional vision system on the erector and an adaptation of the automaton to accept an interface with the controller mentioned above, the invention does not need to modify the erector nor other elements of the TBM. In other words, the invention applies to any TBM and any existing segment erector.

The three-dimensional vision system comprises at least four laser profilometers. Each profilometer comprises a laser capable of projecting a laser line towards an object (in this case, a segment to be placed and at least part of the placement zone, in particular an already placed segment and / or a ring of segments already placed) and an object profile acquisition device. The lines of the different profilometers are projected in such a way as to determine sections of the segment and its surroundings that are distant from each other in order to deduce the position of the segment in space.

More precisely, the four profilometers are used simultaneously when grasping a new segment to be placed, as well as for the placement of the last segment of a ring. The two profilometers oriented towards the ring A already in place make it possible to determine a separation in position and orientation of the segment to be placed with respect to the preceding ring. One of the two profilometers oriented towards the ring while it is being fitted allows fine adjustment of the position and orientation of the segment that must be positioned to form the ring.

To this end, as illustrated in figure 4, two profilometers (whose laser line 210 is schematized) are oriented towards the ring A made up of V segments, which is already in place, and two other profilometers (whose laser line 210 is also schematized) are oriented substantially perpendicular to the first two.

The profilometers are selected with an operating range adapted to the possible relative displacement of the segment with respect to its surroundings during the approach phase. On the other hand, the resolution of the profilometers is selected as a function of the desired precision for the collected information - typically a resolution of less than 1 mm is selected. Finally, profilometers are selected with a very high acquisition frequency in order to allow as little processing time as possible.

Each profilometer provides local information, but all the profilometers provide global information thanks to a computer program intelligence layer; and used by the controller, which allows the combined measurements of the profilometers to be interpreted.

According to one embodiment, the profilometers are integral with the rotor.

Figure 2 illustrates, by way of example, two profilometers 21 (only one is visible) arranged on the erector 2 at a distance from the gripping device 20. The laser lines emitted by each of the profilometers are schematized according to reference 210. has represented an X, Y, Z orthonormal reference. Conventionally, the X axis is the longitudinal axis of the tunnel, the Y axis extends in the direction of the width of the tunnel and the Z axis extends in the direction of the height of the tunnel. The roll angle is defined around the X axis, the longitudinal pitch angle is defined around the Y axis, and the yaw angle is defined around the Z axis.

With respect to cameras with three-dimensional vision, laser profilometers have the advantage of requiring a shorter treatment to allow the position and inclination of an object to be determined.

The device further comprises a processor configured to receive the measurement data from the three-dimensional vision system (typically, a profile of the segment and its surroundings in an X, Z plane) and to process this data in such a way as to determine a separation in position and inclination of the segment to be placed with respect to at least one segment and / or a ring of segments already in place.

The device also includes a controller configured to communicate with said processor and to receive a plane of placement of the segments. Said placement plane includes information relating to the type of segment to be placed, to a planned location for each segment and to a sequence of placement of said segments.

Advantageously, the device also comprises a computer scheduler adapted to communicate with the controller (the scheduler possibly being integrated into the controller) and configured to, based on the measurement data of the erector sensors and, when the In this case, from the analysis data of the three-dimensional vision system, determine a trajectory of the erector towards a final position defined by the plane of placement of the segments.

The grasp and placement of a segment comprises four successive phases that use or do not use the three-dimensional vision system:

- in a first phase (grasping a new segment to be placed), the three-dimensional vision system is activated to determine a separation in position and orientation of the erector with respect to a segment to be taken;

- in a second phase, called blind (that is, it does not involve the three-dimensional vision system), the planner defines the trajectory of the erector towards an intermediate position determined from the placement plane, close to the ring already in place;

- in a third phase, which uses the three-dimensional vision system, the segment is installed in the place determined by the installation plan;

- in a fourth, blind phase, the planner defines a return path of the erector towards a new segment to be taken.

In general, the laying plan is transmitted to the TBM's automaton and validated by an operator through a man-machine interface. Alternatively, the positioning plane can be transmitted to the controller by means of a man-machine interface of the device according to the invention. Said human-machine interface will be described in greater detail below.

The controller is further configured to receive the position information provided by the different position sensors of the erector, either directly, or by means of the robot of the tunnel boring machine.

Based on the placement plane, the analysis data of the position and inclination separations and the position information of the erector, the controller performs a calculation algorithm (movement generator or planner) that allows determining a set of movements of the device for grasping the erector in the space that allows to move the segment to be placed to the required site with an optimal position and orientation precision, and transmits the erector's movement commands to the TBM's automaton.

Eventually, the positioning of the segment can be carried out iteratively, for example by successively adjusting the position of the segment according to the different degrees of freedom. With each step of the iteration, the three-dimensional vision system makes it possible to determine a new position and a new inclination of the segment to be placed with respect to its surroundings, and the controller determines a new set of displacements to adjust its positioning.

By way of indication, the precision obtained with the invention is of the order of 1 mm, while a piloting of the erector by means of a remote control operated by an operator provides an accuracy of at most of the order of 2 to 3 mm. However, the advantages provided by the invention are not limited to an increase in precision as such, but rather make it possible to optimize the compromise of speed - precision of placement and to increase the repeatability and reliability of placement with respect to a piloting of the erector. by an operator.

The man-machine interface is designed to allow a general operator to monitor and control the operation of the automated positioning device. Thus, the man-machine interface allows initiating a segment placement sequence, defining the device's operating modes (for example: fully automatic, semi-automatic, etc.), collecting operating information, and repairing the device in the event of an alarm.

The man-machine interface is also configured to, if necessary (for example, in the event of an incident), deactivate the automated positioning device and allow an operator to directly pilot the erector by means of a remote control conventionally used in existing tunnel boring machines. To this end, the man-machine interface comprises an emergency stop button.

Figure 3 is a synoptic of the operation of the device and its interface with the TBM.

The TBM is schematized by block 100.

Block 101 represents the segment erector actuators.

Block 102 represents the erector position sensors.

The tunnel boring machine comprises in particular an automaton 103 which makes it possible to operate the erector. To this end, the automaton 103 receives measurement data from the position sensors of the erector 102. The automaton 103 controls the actuators 101 of the erector with a view to reaching a given position of the gripping device.

The device according to the invention is schematized by block 200.

Block 201 represents the controller, block 202 represents the three-dimensional vision system, and block 203 represents the human-machine interface.

On the other hand, the controller 201 can transmit to the human-machine interface 203 a placement report with a view to editing and / or storing it.

Controller 201 receives measurement data from three-dimensional vision system 202 that is attached to the erector. By means of the automaton 103 of the tunnel boring machine, the controller 201 further receives the measurement data from the sensors 102 of the erector and deduces from them a theoretical position of the erector. Alternatively, to avoid latency due to the automaton query, the controller can communicate directly with sensors 102.

From the placement plane, the erector sensor measurement data, and the three-dimensional vision system difference analysis data, controller 201 determines an erector path to install a segment to be placed in front of a segment and / or a segment ring already in place, and communicates movement orders to the TBM machine 103 to operate the erector in order to take the segment to be placed and move it according to said trajectory.

In a particularly advantageous manner, the device further comprises a safety device (not shown), for example an immaterial barrier that makes it possible to deactivate the device if an operator breaks into the working area of the erector.

The operation of the device is as follows.

A placement plane is transmitted to the controller.

In a manner known per se, a segment is placed near the erector and must be placed.

In a particularly advantageous way, a recognition of said segment can be carried out by the device. In fact, not all the voussoirs destined to form a ring are necessarily identical, in particular on the universal ring, and in all cases on the last voussoir (key) and the adjacent voussoirs (counter-keys) that generally have more pulsed voussoirs. important than the other voussoirs.

To do this, the three-dimensional vision system is activated so that it acquires a three-dimensional profile of the segment. This profile is compared by the controller with a reference profile included in the placement plan.

Alternatively, the recognition of the segment to be placed can be carried out by any other means available to the person skilled in the art, such as a reader adapted to read a bar code or a matrix code adhered to each segment. The code read is compared by the controller with a reference code included in the placement plan.

If the controller detects that the segment presented is not the segment to be placed according to the placement plan, it issues an alert. A segment change can then be made and the recognition procedure can be resumed with the replacement segment.

If the controller detects that the segment presented is indeed the segment to be placed, it sends the TBM's automation orders to move the erector to take the segment to be placed. The automaton then activates the actuators of the erector to position the gripping device in front of the segment and actuates the grip (for example, generating a depression that provides a suction cup effect) to secure the segment to be placed in the gripping device. In the gripping phase, the three-dimensional vision system allows the good positioning of the gripping device with respect to the segment, the controller being able to determine the position and inclination of the segment to be placed with respect to the gripping device.

It will be appreciated that, although advantageous, this recognition of the segment to be placed is only optional. As a variant, it can be envisaged that the controller sends the TBM's automation orders to move the erector to take the segment presented without having previously verified the conformity of said segment, this verification being carried out by an operator upstream of the supply chain of the voussoir towards the erector.

In order to free the area destined to the positioning of the segment, the controller sends to the robot of the tunnel boring machine an order to move the thrust cylinder (s) in support in this area against the last ring.

Once the segment has been taken by the erector, the controller sends to the TBM's automaton some erector movement orders to move the segment approximately to the intended location. To do this, the controller uses the position information of the erector and the placement plane. In this approximate approach phase, a safe distance between the erector and the segment is respected with respect to the environment of the final position of the segment, in order not to run the risk of a collision. As previously indicated, this phase of movement uses the planner, not using the three-dimensional vision system.

Once this approximate position is reached, the three-dimensional vision system is activated to acquire measurement data of the position and inclination of the segment to be placed with respect to its final environment, that is, a ring already in place and / or a segment already in place. These measurement data make it possible to accurately determine the separation between the segment and the reference that constitutes this final environment. This separation is characterized by distances in translation (for example, along three axes X, Y, Z of an orthonormal reference) and by angles in rotation (for example, roll, pitch and yaw).

From this separation, the controller determines a set of movements of the erector's grasping device in the space that allows the segment to be placed to the required location. This determination combines the erector position information and the separation analysis data from the three-dimensional vision system.

The controller therefore transmits erector movement commands to the TBM's automaton.

Once the segment has been placed, the controller sends to the TBM's automaton movement orders for a thrust cylinder to secure the segment.

The controller then sends an order to decouple the segment from the erector gripping device to the robot of the tunnel boring machine, for example, an order to relax the depression exerted if the segment is held in the gripping device by means of a suction cup. It should be noted that the security of the gripping system is not affected by the device according to the invention, this remaining ensured by the robot of the tunnel boring machine that executes the securing only if the security conditions are met.

The erector is then transferred to a resting position before the placement of a new segment according to the procedure just described. As previously indicated, this phase of movement is piloted by the planner, without the assistance of the three-dimensional vision system.

The controller can record data on the placement of each segment and eventually edit a placement report, which makes it possible to ensure the traceability of the tunnel construction.

Advantageously, after the installation of a complete ring of segments, the positioning device The automated system can measure, thanks to the three-dimensional vision system, at least one geometric characteristic of said ring. This geometric characteristic can be, in particular:

- the roll angle (in order to ensure that the bearing areas arranged on the segments for the push cylinders are actually in front of the TBM cylinders),

- the flatness of the front face of the ring (a flatness defect of the front face of the ring may imply variations in the thrust forces of the cylinders).

- the centering of the ring on the skirt of the TBM (this information is useful, on the one hand, to know the position of the ring in space, which is necessary for the guidance of the TBM: knowing the position of the shield in the reference of the guide system, the position of the ring with respect to the skirt of the shield allows to determine the position of the ring in the reference of the guide system; on the other hand, to avoid any friction of the skirt on the rings)

- and / or the ovalization of the ring.

The control of these characteristics is useful insofar as it can influence the positioning of the next ring and / or the operation of the TBM. Thus, for example, if the edges of the rings are aligned, a possible ovalization is liable to spread to the following rings. Likewise, a flatness defect on the front face of the ring is liable to affect the front face of the next ring.

Advantageously, the controller takes into account the measured characteristic (s) to adjust the positioning plane of the next ring and thus compensate for any positioning defects of the ring that has just been placed.

On the other hand, these characteristics can be registered with the placement report to ensure the traceability of the tunnel construction.

An advantage of the device that has just been described is that it allows the set of segments that make up a ring to be precisely positioned, including the two segments whose placement is more complex, namely:

- the first segment of a ring, taking into account that there is still no adjacent segment, and

- the last segment (or key) to be inserted between two segments already in place.

In the case of the first segment of a ring, as indicated above, the sweep of the placement zone by the erector equipped with a profilometer makes it possible to determine through the points and / or notable zones the roll angle of the first segment relative to the last ring placed, and the controller can take this measurement into account to determine the segment placement path.

In the case of the last segment, the three-dimensional vision system allows the controller to determine the space available to mount the last segment, which, if it is too large or too weak, can trigger operator intervention.

The invention therefore makes it possible to place several segments successively - even several consecutive rings - without any human intervention in the working area of the erector, which minimizes the risks incurred by the operators and the hardness of their work.

On the other hand, as already explained above, the automated device makes it possible to make the placement of the rings reliable and contributes to the traceability of the tunnel construction by recording the placement plans actually made and the characteristics controlled on the rings placed.

References

FR 2745327

CN104747213

JPH08-296400

Claims (11)

1. Device for the automated collection and placement of a segment that forms the lining of a tunnel, intended to be coupled to a tunnel boring machine (1) equipped with a segment erector (2), said erector comprising actuators (101) equipped with position sensors (102), characterized in that it comprises: - a controller (201) configured to communicate with an automaton (103) of the tunnel boring machine adapted to command the drive of the erector, and to receive measurement data from the erector sensors, - a three-dimensional vision system (202) comprising at least four laser profilometers (21), destined to be fixed on the erector in such a way that (i) determines a separation in position and inclination between the erector and a segment to be taken, and (ii) acquires the set of the data from the analysis of the position and inclination separations of a segment (V) that must be placed, held by the erector, with respect to at least one segment and / or a ring of segments already in place, said system of three-dimensional vision coupled to the controller to transmit said measurement data to it, the controller (201) being configured to receive a segment placement plane and, thanks to a computer planner adapted to process said analysis data of the three-dimensional vision system (202), the measurement data of the sensors (102) of the erector and said plane of placement, determine a trajectory of the erector to place said segment (V) that must be placed in front of said segment and / or ring (A) of segments already placed, and communicate movement orders to the automaton (103) of the tunnel boring machine to activate the erector (2) to take the segment (V) that must be placed and move it according to said trajectory. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a human-machine interface (203) coupled to the controller (201). Device according to one of claims 1 to 2, in which the controller (201) is configured to send to the robot (103) of the tunnel boring machine movement commands of at least one push cylinder (15) of the tunnel boring machine , to release a keystone placement zone to be placed and to secure the keystone once in place. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the controller (201) is configured to recognize, from the measurement data, a segment to be positioned. Tunnel boring machine comprising a segment erector (2) and a device according to one of claims 1 to 4. 6. Procedure for the automated collection and placement of a segment (V) to form the lining of a tunnel, by a tunnel boring machine equipped with a segment erector (2) and an automaton (103) adapted to control the erector drive, characterized by comprising: - the supply of a device according to one of claims 1 to 4, - the installation of the three-dimensional vision system (202) on the erector (2), - the establishment of a communication between the controller (201) of said device and the robot (103) of the tunnel boring machine, - the reception, by the controller (201), of a segment placement plane and measurement data from the erector sensors (102), - the communication, by the controller (201) to the robot (103) of the tunnel boring machine, of an order to grasp the segment (V) that must be placed by the erector, - the grasp of a segment (V) that must be placed by the erector (2), - the transfer of said segment (V) to a placement zone defined by the controller (201), - the acquisition, by the three-dimensional vision system (202), of data for the analysis of the position and inclination separations of the segment (V) that must be positioned with respect to at least one segment (V) and / or a ring (A) of segments already in place, - the processing of said measurement data by the controller (201) in order, from said measurement data of the three-dimensional vision system, of the measurement data of the erector sensors (102) and of said positioning plane, to determine an erector path to install said segment that must be placed in front of said segment and / or ring of segments already in place, - the communication, by the controller (201), of movement orders from the erector (2) to the robot (103) of the tunnel boring machine, - the actuation of the erector (2) by the automaton (103) according to said movement orders, to install the segment, - the communication to the automaton (103), by the controller (201), of movement orders of at least one push cylinder (15) of the tunnel boring machine, - the securing of said segment (V) by said thrust cylinder (15) against a ring (A) already in place. 7. Method according to claim 6, further comprising, before grasping the segment (V) to be placed, the recognition of said segment by the controller (201) from the data provided by the three-dimensional vision system (202). Method according to one of Claims 6 to 7, in which, after securing the segment (V), the controller (201) sends to the robot (103) of the tunnel boring machine a command to relax the grip of the segment. 9. Automated placement method of a complete ring of segments, characterized in that the method according to one of claims 6 to 8 is used for all segments that make up said ring (A). 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising, after the placement of a complete ring of segments, the measurement, by the three-dimensional vision system (202), of at least one geometric characteristic of said ring (A), comprising the roll angle, the flatness of the front face, the centering of the ring on the skirt of the TBM and / or the ovalization of the ring. Method according to claim 10, in which, depending on said measurement of said geometric characteristic of the ring (A), the controller adjusts the positioning plane of the segments of the next ring.